Trash, which is also referred to as garbage, is often collected at residential and commercial locations and subsequently sent to a processing plant. At the processing plant, the trash may be sorted for disposal. Recycling materials collected for recycling may also be collected at residential and commercial locations and subsequently sent to a processing plant for sorting of the recyclable materials for distribution of those materials for recycling. These recycling materials are often stored prior to collection separately from other garbage so that the collection of the recycling materials only has the recycling materials mixed with each other without a significant presence of garbage.
Typically, processing plants that receive collected trash or garbage are not configured to facilitate the sorting of trash so that paper products can be separated from the trash and subsequently recycled. Typically, grime and other contaminants the paper is exposed to while with the trash makes the paper unsuitable for recycling. Thus, paper mixed within other garbage is often not recycled due to it being thrown away with other garbage (e.g. uneaten food, rotting produce, grimy materials, etc.). Such thrown away paper that is mixed with garbage can include, for example, paper napkins, paper towels, paper plates, paper cups, cardboard, newspaper, office paper, and other types of paper products that may be thrown away into a general trash collection receptacle that collects other types of garbage for disposal.